Pages

Sunday, August 31, 2014

I love it when designers known for prim and proper designs do a 180 degree turnaround and present gothic inspired clothing. Emilia Wickstead did that for Fall.Instagram was a buzz with pictures of Look 18, a vibrant pink long sleeve gown. The beautiful dress is among my favourites of the show. I liked the unexpected roughness of the collection. It shows Emilia isn't just a one trick pony. There was leather and snakeskin prints but lace and florals. Of course Emilia presented signature shapes. That was inevitable. I didn't mind that as it worked with the ladylike-but-not grunge vibe she achieved.Another London designer with an astonishing collection.

Jasper Conran presented his Fall 2014 collection in Chelsea on the King's Road at the Saatchi Gallery. He designed clothes for 'powerful women with a lot of sexiness'.Look 1 was a black coat with a wrap tie over a silk black slip with sheer details. Following that was a pale and pink sleeveless sequin embroidered dress. After that was more pale pinks, sheer details, stripes and geranium reds. The finale look was a flattering gold sequin embroidered dress with spaghetti straps and a matching clutch bag.Models lips were in a bright and light shades of red. A lot of party dresses were shown in the collection. I love them as much as the next person but I felt it lacked something. The clothes were lovely though.

'Crocodile' it was called. That is the new FYODOR GOLAN collection's title by duo Fyodor Podgomy and Golan Frydman. They told Vogue 'combining couture shapes with urban elements through layering and oversized pieces, 3-D embroideries and prints mirroring our impressions of flamboyant Myanmar mosaics and temples we visited last year'.They were also inspired by Richard Mosse pink photography and their holiday to Burma. The carpet at the showspace in Farringdon was pink. A few of the looks were also in the neon hue. Other looks were in black, gold and blue. The models wore aviators as they strutted down the runway. The models looked like they were travelling incognito.To promote Nokia, the duo made an amazing skirt with £68000 worth of Nokia Lumia 1520 smartphones on it.I loved the bright pink wool coat and matching skirt with metallic jeans and slippers. Flamboyancy at its finest. Metallics and crocodile textures were used in the collection. Models wore cats and flats shoes(boots and slippers). The show was unexpected but that's what I liked about it. Great collection from FYODOR GOLAN.

Turkish designer Bora Aksu was inspired by his mother who sent him letters while he was at boarding school. There was an idea of mixing uniforms with the very classy Bora Aksu woman.

Look 1 was a laser cut and featured octagonal shapes. A pointy collar and leather sleeves were also on the look. After that came more laser cuts and leathers. Pink was done Aksu style, fun and playfully. This season he chose a rosé champagne colour.

Waists were cinched which gave a sexy feel to the collection.

Models hair was put into a 'Heidi' braid and tied in a bow.

A canary yellow look, which was printed, had a sheer neckline and a round collar, was my favourite look in the collection. It was paired with printed heels and socks. I am not too keen on socks with heels.

There was navy, canary yellow, light pink and burgundy were on Aksu's colour palette this season. They were done stunningly and fashioned into snazzy clothes. Bora Aksy is always on my radar at LFW and this season he continued to wow this season.

Annette Felder and Daniela Felder are German sisters and brilliant fashion the designers. They Felderised me (that’s the twitter hashtag they’ve been using on this glum Valentine’s Day. Freemason’s Hall was the venue for the show.

The opening look was a bug green long sleeved floor sweeping coat with dark chartreuse lining. Following that was a purple coat, with a matching mini skirt and a sheer red shirt. Then came the form fitting dresses with sheer details and cut-outs. Jaime King served as inspiration. There were leather jackets, dresses were in a splendid violet hue and were of various lengths.

The black PVC in the middle of the show reminded me of the terrifying Rubber Man in the season 1 of American Horror Story. The finale look was snow white. A turtleneck midriff bearing sweater, white wide leg 70’s inspired trousers with a sheer detail. A white coat with a fur hem finished off the look .

Yet another great season for the FELDER sisters at London Fashion Week. I love it when designers set the bar high on the opening day.

Jackie Lee opened London Fashion Week this morning at Somerset House’s BFC Courtyard space with the minimalist designs we're used to seeing. It was the colours in the collection I liked, whites, navy, electric blue and dark green.

This is Jackie’s second season presenting here. She studied at Central Saint Martin’s. Look 15 was an electric blue ensemble, consisting of a sweater with white panels and trousers. Look 26 was a gingham printed above the knee length dress in White and light Grey. Look 30’s tartan blue and dark green sleeveless ankle grazing dress was another favourite of mine in the collection.

“Blue and green should never be seen without another colour in between” is a saying which I hate because I love blue and green together. Polar suitable coats and polar opposites must’ve been on Jackie’s mind. Black and white looks were featured. Models wore dishevelled hair and flat shoes.

A great opening to a sure to be fantastic season from a magnificent designer. The wind and rain made me feel glum but Jackie cheered me up.

Friday, August 29, 2014

On Saturday 15th of February during London Fashion Week I attended the Orla Kiely presentation. I am a huge fan of her kitsch home-ware but I admittedly wasn't too familiar with her clothing range. The venue for the show was the Old Central Saint Martin's Building.
Models sported charmingly cute clothes which were wearable but had an ounce of fun in them. Look 2 was a twee pink coat with a fur collar - what more could one ask for. The Irish designer showcased season appropriate items. They were fit for all weathers - see the raincoats in most looks. The Irish and English weather pops into mind when I see the looks despite the lack of rain on the day. The soundtrack did however feature rain and the sound of the subterranean Tube (London's underground train system).
Models sat on benches and stood poised next to lampposts. Looks 18 and 19 featured see through umbrellas dotted with peachy polka dots, this may seem like an obvious accessory and it was, but it was disarmingly lovely. Symbolic of all things English and Irish.
My favourite look was 20. A slinky black cat, it's hind legs in flight, was emblazoned on a cream turtleneck sweater. Black rolled up trousers and not-so-killer shoes completed the look.
This show quintessentially symbolized all things Irish - Orla's home turf and British - the story displayed at the show. This was a highly enjoyable experience and change from the norm (all white everything. A change of scenery never hurt no-one).